Methane Gas Must Be Removed From Landfills Because

C O N T E N T S:

Landfill owners and operators must make sure the concentration of methane gas does not exceed 25% of the LEL for methane in the facilities' structures and the LEL for methane at the facility boundary.(More...)

The efficiency of gas collection at landfills directly impacts the amount of energy that can be recovered - closed landfills (those no longer accepting waste) collect gas more efficiently than open landfills (those that are still accepting waste).(More...)
The response then separates Keystone's efforts into problems "completely" mitigated (such as water quality concerns, increased runoff, devaluation of properties, noise, and road deterioration) and "mostly" mitigated (odors, landfill gas emissions, dusts, pests, litter, risk of fires, unsafe or overweight vehicles, dirt and mud, and the visibility of such a large landfill).(More...)

KEY TOPICS

Landfill owners and operators must make sure the concentration of methane gas does not exceed 25% of the LEL for methane in the facilities' structures and the LEL for methane at the facility boundary. [1] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which estimates that hundreds of landfills could support gas to energy projects, has also established the Landfill Methane Outreach Program. [1] The landfills affected by Subtitle D of RCRA are required to control gas by establishing a way to check for methane emissions periodically and therefore prevent off-site migration. [1]

Decomposing waste in these landfills produce landfill gas, which is a mixture of about half methane and half carbon dioxide. [1] Landfill gas, primarily methane, is captured to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and for the production of energy. [2] Landfill gas is approximately forty to sixty percent methane, with the remainder being mostly carbon dioxide. [1] Subtitle D now requires controls on the migration of methane in landfill gas. [1] When landfill gas permeates through a soil cover, a fraction of the methane in the gas is oxidized microbially to CO 2. [1]

These projects collect the methane gas and treat it, so it can be used for electricity or upgraded to pipeline-grade gas. (Methane gas has twenty-one times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide). [1] Consideration must also be given to the climate of the region, including precipitation and prevailing winds; geology, soils, hydrology, flood levels, and topography; and the need for liners, leachate collection and treatment, and methane gas control. [2]

Waste industry groups objected to this Obama-era regulation, which required landfills to set up methane gas collection systems and monitor emissions. [3] All landfills require decades of environmental monitoring for both water and air emissions. (Flammable methane gas is created as landfills decay, which has caused explosions at poorly managed sites.) [4] The city must also install vents to address methane gas that is collecting underneath the landfill cover. [5] At the Andover landfill, the MPCA installed a groundwater extraction and treatment system in 1992, a methane gas collection system in 1998, a PCP treatment system in 2012 and a vapor extraction system in 2013. [6]

The Coalbed Methane Outreach Program (CMOP) is actively engaged in implementing the international Global Methane Initiative (GMI) Exit, a voluntary initiative to reduce methane emissions from five key sectors: agriculture, coal mining, municipal solid waste (e.g., landfills), oil & gas systems, and wastewater. [7] The primary component of landfill gas, methane, is a greenhouse gas which can be more harmful to the environment than CO 2 if it is not collected. [8]

WM public sector manager Andy Reynolds tells local news station WDRB that the company actually burns off the methane gas emission in a flare, and that WM is investing $30 million in technology that would put that energy right back into natural gas pipelines. [9] Branch said the project cost does not include seven vents that will need to be installed to mitigate methane gas that was detected on the site. [5] The MPCA has equipment in place to protect groundwater and soils from contamination and to keep explosive methane gas out of the air, but it is spending $400,000 to $500,000 a year on operations and maintenance because the solvents that leak from the barrels eat away at this equipment, requiring frequent replacements. [6]

California continues to push the envelope on diverting organic material from landfills, which reduces methane gas emissions that occur when such green waste decomposes in the dump. [10] Some landfills use the methane gas to create energy for other purposes. [11] Landfills are the second-largest cause of methane gas in California. [10] "Landfill gas" (LFG) contains methane, carbon dioxide and nonmethane organic compounds (NMOC). [12] When sent to landfills, food and other organic waste decomposes and generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas with a heat-trapping effect at least 86 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 20-year span. [10] Methane emissions resulting from the decomposition of organic waste in landfills are a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions contributing to global climate change. [10]

Landfilled organic materials (like landscape trimmings and food waste) produce methane gas, which is a short-lived climate pollutant that negatively affects our environment and contributes to changes in Earth's temperature and weather patterns. [10] Organic material does decompose over time, but it produces methane gas when it breaks down outside of the composting process. [10]

Methane gas has a short life span in our atmosphere in comparison to other greenhouse gases, but it has a stronger potency and does more damage. [10]

In winter 2008, drinking water in several area homes was found to contain heavy metals and methane gas that state officials determined leaked underground from Cabot wells. [13] There have been incidents of stray or migrating methane gas that has affected private water wells located near Marcellus wells in some areas of Pennsylvania. [14] In 2009, there were 1.26 cases of methane gas migrating into groundwater for every 1,000 new Marcellus wells drilled, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. [13] The abandoned wells can serve as conduits for the surface migration of methane gas, particularly from newly drilled wells, sometimes leading to explosions. [13] Two of them have been established by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, or MPCA, and are being used to provide power for equipment set up at the sites to collect the methane gas and leachate produced by decomposing fill. [15] The major composition of natural gas is methane and for liquefaction to occur i.e. to liquefy methane gas, the temperature of the system must be brought down to ?160?C. This of course is also a function of other factors such as the components part of the gas to be liquefied. [16] Figure 4 shows the crystalline cage-like structure formed when water molecules formed crystal lattice around methane gas. [16] This shale has received renewed attention both because of new estimates of the quantity of methane gas believed to be under these rocks and because of the significant environmental concerns that have been raised about the method of extracting the gas from the shale, " fracking." [13]

POSSIBLY USEFUL

The efficiency of gas collection at landfills directly impacts the amount of energy that can be recovered - closed landfills (those no longer accepting waste) collect gas more efficiently than open landfills (those that are still accepting waste). [1] Hybrid (Aerobic/anaerobic) The biodegradation of the waste degradation is accelerated by employing a sequential aerobic-anaerobic strategy to degrade organics in the upper sections of the landfill and to collect gas from lower sections. [2]

The dominant process in most landfills is the third process whereby anaerobic bacteria decompose organic waste to produce biogas, which consists of methane and carbon dioxide together with traces of other compounds. [1] Biodegradation occurs anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen) and produces landfill gases (carbon dioxide and methane). [2] Formation of methane and CO 2 commences about six months after depositing the landfill material. [1]

In the U.S., under the Clean Air Act of 1996, it is required that many large landfills install gas collection and control systems, which means that at the very least the facilities must collect and flare the gas. [1] Industrial commercial There are special landfills for the disposal of industrial wastes such as coal ash, paper mill sludges and similar materials. [2] Construction and demolition There are special landfills for the disposal of construction (C &D) and demolition waste that is not recovered. [2] Ash monofill There are special landfills for the disposal of ash from the combustion of municipal solid waste. [2] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data shows that more than 950 municipal solid waste landfills are operating in the United States as of 2013. [1] These landfills are the third largest source of human-made methane emissions in the United States. [1] This program was developed to reduce methane emissions from landfills in a cost-effective manner by encouraging the development of environmentally and economically beneficial landfill gas-to-energy projects. [1]

Films and slides that explain proper sanitary landfill operations are available from state and federal agencies and equipment manufacturers. [2] Leachate, removed from the bottom layer, is stored, and recirculated into the landfill in a controlled manner to obtain optimal moisture levels and, thus, both stimulate and accelerate the biological activity within the landfill. [2] Bioreactor landfills are designed to accelerate the biological stabilization of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. [2] Management of non-hazardous and hazardous solid waste including landfills and storage tanks. [17] The final version of Part 258--Criteria for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills (MSWLFs)--was signed on September 11, 1991. [2] The gases produced within a landfill can be collected and used in various ways. [1] Gases from municipal landfills contain traces of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, since such organosilicon compounds are used in personal care products. [1] Monitoring requirements must be met at landfills during their operation, and for an additional 30 years after. [1] Some municipalities would have to resort to a more costly method because suitable landfill sites may not be available within the municipality. [2] Landscape architects can make a contribution in converting the sanitary landfill to a community asset, such as parks, playgrounds with picnic areas, nature trails, bicycle and jogging paths, and hills with scenic observation sites. [2] Larger landfills usually are more efficient and result in lower unit costs. [2] To aid in the planning process, Table 3.21 presents some general guidelines for landfill design, construction, and operation. [2]

In the U.S., Waste Management uses landfill gas as an energy source at 110 landfill gas-to-energy facilities. [1] "Estimates of solid waste disposal rates and reduction targets for landfill gas emissions". [1] Landfill gas emissions can lead to environmental, hygiene and security problems in the landfill. [1] Landfill gas can also be used to evaporate leachate, another byproduct of the landfill process. [1] The landfill gas can also be sold off site and sent into natural gas pipelines. [1] The landfill gas can be utilized directly on site by a boiler or any type of combustion system, providing heat. [1] In the U.S., the number of landfill gas projects increased from 399 in 2005, to 594 in 2012 according to the Environmental Protection Agency. [1] This, in turn, can result in contamination of groundwater by organic compounds present in nearly all landfill gas. [1]

The evolution of gas reaches a maximum at about 20 years, then declines over the course of decades. [1] These projects are popular because they control energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. [1] The major components are CO 2 and methane, both of which are greenhouse gas. [1] Flame ionization detectors can be used to measure methane levels as well as total VOC levels. [1] In terms of global warming potential, methane is over 25 times more detrimental to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. [1]

At a minimum, the slope on the landfill, as well as the venting of methane, will likely need to be addressed before the DEP will issue Portland a permit for roughly 2,800 solar panels, which are expected to generate enough electricity to power City Hall and Merill Auditorium. [18] Numerous companies around the world have understood the potential for waste as a fuel, but few companies have the resources of an organization like Waste Management, which in February announced it would begin to harness methane emissions at a Louisville area landfill site and turn it into fuel. [9] A wet landfill constructs a bioreactor that accelerates biologic decomposition and uses produced methane to generate electricity. [4] At many landfills, methane is burned in a flare so it isn?t released into the environment. [8]

"According to the EPA, 3 MW of renewable energy generated by landfill gas-to-energy projects is equal to preventing the carbon emissions emitted by the use 16.6 million gallons of gasoline," Jessica Lyons Hardcastle at Environmental Leader writes. [9] "As a result of landfill management projects, the recovery of resources as well as land recovery is increased while future environmental hazards can be avoided," the company tells local news outlet Malta Today. [9]

Over the years, the city has had to contend with people illegally dumping materials at the closed landfill, including construction debris and bulky waste, such as appliances and wrecked vehicles. [5] These rules also determine which waste materials are prohibited from being disposed of in the landfill and from which areas of the state waste can be accepted. [8] The state no longer allows hazardous waste landfills, so the contractor that eventually wins the bid from the state must find a licensed landfill in another state. [6] Most of New York?s waste goes to landfills or to incinerators out of state. [19] The latest problems are not causing direct health hazards, state officials say, but are adding to the costs and delays as the city scrambles to repair the aging landfill in time to install solar panels there before the end of the year in order to be grandfathered in under the current rules governing reimbursement for power fed back into the grid. [18] Public Works Director Chris Branch said in an interview Thursday that the project will cost at least $150,000, even though the city is using fill from its State Street road project to increase the height of the landfill by 3 feet. [5] City officials originally touted a new landfill site along Old Lorena Road near the current landfill not only due to required proximity to a state highway but ideal geology. [4] Vocal opposition to a proposed landfill site near the current Waco Regional Landfill off State Highway 84 near Woodway prompted the Waco City Council last week to spend an additional $150,000 scrutinizing three additional potential landfill sites. [4] The state has ordered Portland to do more work to secure the city's leaking landfill before Maine's largest city can move forward with its solar farm installation at the Ocean Avenue site. [18] All should be pleased that Waco Mayor Kyle Deaver and the city of Waco are now analyzing alternative sites for a new city landfill, as time is fast running out for such old-waste technology. [4] I believe the city of Waco is doing a decent job of planning for a new landfill on a site close to the existing one. [4] The city is planning to close the landfill and build transfer and sorting stations and incinerators -- as well as another major dump 40 miles away, in the city of Badagry -- but these steps will take years. [19] The city is looking to install more than 2,800 solar panels on the closed landfill by the end of the year so it can take advantage of higher rates paid for electricity from solar projects. [5] Before it can install the solar panels, the city must fix the landfill cover, which has settled over the years and been compromised by recreational use, lack of maintenance and erosion. [5] The Maine Department of Environmental Protection says the city must increase the height and slope of the landfill by 3 feet, and then over the next year, conduct a comprehensive assessment of the landfill cap and fix any areas where the cap is not 2 feet thick. [18] The Maine DEP inspected the Ocean Avenue landfill Aug. 30, two days after the Portland Press Herald published a story about conditions at the landfill, which the city had neglected to maintain over the years, allowing rooted vegetation to grow there. [18] The scope of the work makes it unlikely that the city will meet its goal of installing a 4-acre solar array on top of the landfill by the end of the year to take advantage of higher electricity rates for solar customers. [18] The city will have an additional year or so to fix the rest of the landfill to ensure there is at least 18 inches of compact clay cover plus 6 inches of topsoil, Young said. [18]

Austin diverts 42 percent from the landfill and has a plan to achieve zero waste by 2040. [4] The Waste Disposal Engineering Landfill covers 122 acres south of Coon Creek, north of the Andover Station North ball fields, east of Crosstown Boulevard and a residential neighborhood, and west of Hanson Boulevard. [6] Routine checks also revealed that the landfill operator, Waste Disposal Engineering, was accepting more hazardous waste than indicated in their monthly reports. [6]

Diverting waste from the landfill, via recycling and composting, prolongs the landfill?s life and decreases costs now and going forward. [4] Maltese waste management operator Wasteserv announced in January it would be working with other waste management companies and regulatory agencies in the European Union to share local landfill management best practices and to create new economic opportunities. [9] It's unclear how much more work will be needed to fix the rest of the landfill, including the areas that have exposed waste. [18] Greater waste diversion (recycling) rather than landfill: This is the low-hanging fruit. [4] This business waste makes up about one-third of landfill waste. [4] Learn how all the pieces of the waste stream fit together by touring our Wood Street Landfill and Recycling Center. [8] Landfills and waste dumps are quickly filling up -- with many of the largest receiving on average 10,000 tons of waste per day. [19] Europe sends less of its waste to dumps or landfills and more to incinerators. [19] Most of Jakarta?s waste ends up at Bantar Gebang, one of the biggest landfills in the world: It covers 272 acres and receives over 6,000 tons of trash per day. [19] Republic Services is another company that recognizes the gas-to-energy potential of landfills, and in 2016 the company announced a project that would tap into the emissions at three Georgia landfills to generate 24.1 megawatts of electricity, which would otherwise have been generated by dirtier fuels. [9] Grand River Avenue Landfill, which is located in Grand Ledge, Mich., is open for large customers by appointment only and is used for special projects. [8] Hanson said the MPCA has been monitoring groundwater wells on the landfill and private wells outside the landfill since the 1980s, and this will continue to happen during the project. [6] Matt Young, project manager for the DEP's Landfill Closure and Remediation Program, said leachate is a common problem for landfills that were closed in the 1970s, like Portland's. [5] According to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, leachate is forced out of the landfill by water that collects on top and infiltrates the capped fill. [5] In July 2010, the DEP sent a letter to the city approving the sign placements, but urging it to do more to prohibit people from biking and using ATVs on top of the landfill and to add more fencing to keep pets out of the leachate areas. [5] If the solar array has to be taken offline or removed because of problems with the landfill or other regulatory issues, the city would be liable for the costs of any electricity that would have been produced. [18] Other sections of fencing were recently ordered removed by the state because the posts could cause damage to the landfill cap. [18] Another option for the existing Waco landfill: "mining," where the recyclables are removed and remaining organic material digested in a bioreactor. [4] The leachate is collected and safely removed from the landfill. [8] The most hazardous area of a closed landfill in Andover will be removed in 2018 and residents can learn more at a Nov. 29 open house. [6]

After many years of unsuccessfully trying to track down old landfill operators, the state of Minnesota in 1994 adopted the Minnesota Landfill Cleanup Act to manage closed landfills. [6] Moon was not able to provide an estimate of how much that might cost, if the landfill fails in the first few years. [5] The current landfill is not sustainable because it creates ongoing costs for post-closure management that stretch into an unknown future. [4] "Moreover, landfill management projects generate economic development opportunities and create new green jobs, all within the context of an EU-wide transition to a resilient, low-carbon, circular economy." [9] Since the DEP raised concerns about the slopes at the landfill, this time line has been secondary to completing the regrading project to their satisfaction." [18] Kim Rich looks at what she thinks may be trash protruding from the closed landfill, which at one time was capped with 2 feet of material. [5] Take the Puente Hills Landfill in Los Angeles, the country?s largest, where the daily cover might need to be strong enough to hold up for days or weeks at a time -- but still made of materials that keep the cover within budget. [9] According to a 1996 summary of the landfill's history by Sebago Technics, which was working on behalf of the city, the landfill was capped with 24 inches of materials, including sludge from the Portland Wastewater Treatment Plant, which the DEP approved. [5] The scavengers who work in the streets and at the landfill play an important role in recycling, in a city with hardly any formal recycling industry. [19] The city proposes to spend about a million dollars on initial designs for an expanded (or new) dry-tomb landfill. [4] "While it appears the cutting of a large portion of the landfill may have been done in the past, the clumps of woody vegetation remain in place and will eventually migrate onto most of the remaining surface if left unattended," Robert Birk, of the DEP's Division of Remediation in the Bureau of Remediation and Solid Waste, wrote in a letter to the city. [5] The industry professional, however, understands that solid waste can in fact be a fussy thing, especially at scale, especially over the lifetime of a landfill. [9] As a result, the developers TriAD works with can bring ignored or forgotten landfill sites into the fold and apply industry best practices to ensure those sites remain safe for their communities. [9] Portland has installed new fences next to its former landfill to keep people and pets away from leachate escaping from the site. [18] Wasteserv naturally has its work cut out for it -- the company operates on a small Mediterranean island nation that simply doesn?t have the space for large landfill sites. [9] Sometimes, something as ostensibly simple as covering a landfill requires creative solutions because of topography of the site. [9] Our landfills also serve an important purpose of providing fuel for renewable energy generation. [8] At Granger, we recognize the power of landfills as a renewable source of energy and its benefits for providing a cleaner-burning, consistent source of power. [8] Today, a five-acre solar array sits at the pinnacle of the old landfill, and at capacity it produces enough energy to power 1,000 homes. [9] In 2011, the managers at the Hartford Connecticut Landfill sought to devote some of the site?s 35 acres to generating solar energy. [9] He estimates that the natural gas that could be harvested from a single landfill every day would be enough to power 12,000 homes. [9]

Lobbyists for the oil and gas industries petitioned Mr. Pruitt to reconsider a rule limiting emissions of methane and other pollutants from new and modified oil and gas wells. [3] This gas consists of approximately 50 percent methane, 45 percent carbon dioxide and small amounts of other components. [8] CBM is also known as virgin coal seam methane or coal seam gas. [7] Specific CMM end-uses depend on the gas quality, especially the concentration of methane and the presence of other contaminants. [7] Methane is an explosive gas that is a hazard to underground miners. [7] The oil and gas industry opposed the rule, which required companies to control methane emissions on federal or tribal land. [3] Between 1990 and 2015, U.S. emissions decreased by 40 percent, in large part due to the coal mining industry's increased recovery and utilization of drained gas and decrease in ventilation air methane emissions. [7]

Lobbyists for the fossil fuel industry opposed 2016 Interior Department regulations meant to ensure fair royalties were paid to the government for oil, gas and coal extracted from federal or tribal land. [3] The fossil fuel industry and Republican lawmakers pushed Mr. Zinke to revise a five-year offshore oil and gas leasing plan finalized by the Obama administration. [3] Republicans, along with oil, gas and steel industry groups, opposed Mr. Obama's decision to block the pipeline, arguing that the project would create jobs and support North American energy independence. [3] Oil and gas industry leaders said the permit-issuing process for new infrastructure projects was costly and cumbersome. [3] Following a executive order in April last year known as the America-First Offshore Energy Strategy, the Trump administration began an application process to allow five oil and gas companies to survey the Atlantic using seismic air guns, which fire loud blasts that can harm whales, fish and turtles. [3] Oil and gas industry leaders criticized the Obama administration's plan, developed in coordination with thousands of stakeholders, for protecting the bird, whose numbers have plummeted in recent years. [3] Regulations have often been reversed as a direct response to petitions from oil, coal and gas companies and other industry groups, which have enjoyed a much closer relationship with key figures in the Trump administration than under President Barack Obama. [3] In March of 2017, Republican officials from 11 states wrote a letter to Mr. Pruitt, saying the rule added costs and paperwork for oil and gas companies. [3] In December, The B.L.M. ended Obama-era rules that prioritized putting oil and gas drilling projects and grazing habitats outside of sage grouse habitat. [3] CMOP has profiled 50 active underground coal mines in the United States with significant gas levels that might make them promising candidates for project development. [7] Closed mines produce emissions of low- to medium-quality gas from diffuse vents, ventilation pipes, boreholes, or fissures in the ground. [7]

The Environmental Protection Agency has requirements for more robust leachate management and gas collection, but that?s often a Band-aid. [4] As part of his April executive order aimed at expanding offshore oil and gas drilling, Mr. Trump called for a review of national marine sanctuaries and monuments designated or expanded within the past decade. [3] Mr. Trump?s March executive order called for a review of Obama-era updates to a 50-year-old rule regulating oil and gas drilling in national parks with shared ownership. (Most national parks are owned solely by the government, and drilling in them is banned. [3] Republicans have long sought to to open the Alaska refuge to gas and oil drilling. [3]

The ponding causes contaminated water to leach from the bottom of the landfill, which can be a health hazard to animals that consume it. [18] The top of the landfill should be rounded so water runs off the hill, DEP said. [5] A sign at the base of the capped landfill off Ocean Avenue warns people to keep their pets out of the standing water. [18] Landfills are designed to protect groundwater, surface water and air quality. [8] The city is ordered to do more to secure the leaking landfill, and to stop or reverse some of the initial repairs. [18] The city also was ordered to remove a fence that it installed to prevent people from walking on a well-worn trail on top of the landfill, because the fence was installed on the landfill cap. [18] "The common perception is that the city is doing right by us - that the city is taking care of us," Rich said during an interview at the landfill last week. [5] Atop the city landfill in August, Kim Rich of Portland examines trash protruding from what she thinks may be a hole in the cap of clay and soil, which is supposed to be at least 2 feet thick. [18] Several landfill neighbors, including Copley Woods Circle residents Sara Scola and Kim Rich, have been showing up at City Council meetings to urge the city to fully address the issue. [5] City Manager Jon Jennings responded during the meeting last Monday by acknowledging that the city has not been meeting its obligations at the landfill, but now planned to do so. [5] NW, will host the community forum from 7-9 p.m. City Administrator Jim Dickinson said the city is mailing letters to residents and businesses within a half-mile of the landfill, but all are residents are welcome to come with questions and listen to a presentation by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. [6] Chris Branch, director of Portland Public Works, said the city is now trucking in a clay-heavy fill from Gorham to cap the landfill. [18] Plans to create a 4-acre solar array in Portland are forcing city officials to address longstanding issues at its closed landfill off Ocean Avenue. [5] "Although the landfill encompasses a fairly large area (approximately 35 acres), the level of closure performed by the city of Portland appears to be functioning adequately and in general compliance with the 1976 MDEP closure requirements," wrote Owens McCullough of Sebago Technics. [5] It also recommended that the city cut the grass more frequently to control the growth of woody plants that can damage the landfill cover. [5] Few city landfills are planned, opened and operated without at least some public resistance, generally in the area where a new landfill is envisioned. [4] Pat Hanson, director of the MPCA?s closed landfill program, said it would likely cost in the "hundreds of millions of dollars to completely remove it." [6] Non-recycled glass goes to the landfill, shortening the landfill?s life, thereby putting us in the position to spend millions for a new landfill. [4] Details about what exactly is in the landfill - and its potential toxicity - are difficult to come by, mostly because the landfill was also used by surrounding towns, including Scarborough and Westbrook, he said. [5] There are residents with private wells in Andover near this landfill. [6] Wood Street Landfill accepts trash collected from commercial and residential customers by Granger trucks, as well as from industrial customers, local municipalities and small haulers. [8] Each section (cell) of a Granger landfill takes about two years to construct (under the best possible weather conditions). [8] There are 12 landfills, the largest of which is on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay and is expected to last for about 50 years. [19] There's a lot riding on the landfill work besides the city's ambitious solar project. [18] For that project, they tapped Agru America, whose ClosureTurf product appeared a viable option as something that could cap the landfill and support solar arrays -- but the company had never tried this before. [9] Rules, regulations and policies for Michigan landfills are set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and local communities. [8] Because of local habits, some 80 percent of what ends up in local landfills is actually recyclable, says the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). [9] Waco recycles (or diverts from the landfill) about 20 percent. [4] Remember Austin?s study that 80 percent of garbage is either recyclable or compostable? Presumably this same percentage now lies buried in the Waco landfill. [4] Presumably all their domestic material goes straight into the landfill. [4] The liner contains layers of different materials to keep trash contained within the landfill. [8] Landfill owners follow stringent regulations, plus their own best management practices for landfill construction and operation in order to protect the environment. [8] Landfill management is a tough job that often requires creative thinking. [9] Previously, we took a look at the technology revolutionizing landfill management. [9] Here is a good example of where the lifecycle management of landfills comes into play. [9] Because we live by the Golden Rule, we strive to take care of our God-given resources and practice responsible landfill management. [8] Some outlying communities that use the landfill do not have curbside recycling pickup. [4] Solid waste was dumped on 66 acres when the landfill was open from 1962 to 1983. [6] Landfills serve an important purpose in their communities as safe repositories for trash, but they can also provide a valuable source of power. [8] With this mining process, existing landfill life can be extended for many decades -- perhaps a century or more. [4] We were actually one of the first landfill owners in Michigan to begin using composite liners, even though at the time it wasn?t legally required. [8] The United States is the only country to choose dry-tomb landfills almost exclusively. [4]

An electric generating station owned and operated by Energy Developments Limited is located on site to use the landfill gas collected to produce power for nearly 5,000 local homes. [8] This two-year schedule allows for the precise excavation of the cell, construction of a complex liner system for protection of groundwater and placement of a piping and drainage infrastructure (used to collect liquids and landfill gas for energy). [8] Landfill gas collected from the landfill travels through the pipes to an on-site facility and is used to make renewable energy. [8] Landfill gas, produced when organic material decomposes in a landfill, can be used as a resource. [8] Within the landfill are numerous perforated, high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes used to collect landfill gas and leachate (liquid that has come in contact with trash). [8] In a more productive operation, landfill gas is collected and used as a source of renewable power. [8] Utilizing landfill gas in both of these ways reduces greenhouse gas emissions. [8]

Transportation and infrastructure industry groups opposed a measure that required state and local officials to track greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles on federally funded highways. [3] Aircraft account for 3 percent of the United States' total greenhouse gas emissions, but in 2017, the E.P.A. changed the status of a proposed rule limiting aircraft emissions to "inactive" on the agency's website. [3]

Methane (CH 4 ) is the second most important greenhouse gas (GHG) after carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). [7] Technology is readily available to recover methane -- the major component of natural gas -- from coal mines. [7] Coal mine methane (CMM) represents wasted emissions to the atmosphere, while capture and use of CMM has benefits for the local and global environment. [7] China leads the world in estimated coal mine methane (CMM) emissions with more than 420 MMTCO 2 E in 2020 (more than 27 billion cubic meters annually). [7] To ensure mine safety, fresh air is circulated through underground coal mines using ventilation systems to dilute in-mine concentrations of methane to levels well below explosive levels. [7] Other, more minor sources of methane from coal mines include surface mines and post-mining activities (coal continues to emit methane as it is stored in piles and transported). [7] In abandoned mines and surface mines, methane might also escape to the atmosphere through natural fissures or other diffuse sources. [7] Although it is typically less than 1 percent methane, it is the single largest source of CMM emissions globally. [7] The Partnership focuses on near-term methane abatement or recovery for use as a clean, profitable energy source. [7] It is technically possible, however, to convert the dilute methane in ventilation air to useful energy and the economic feasibility of these projects are currently being developed, demonstrated, and commercialized. [7] Collectively, these projects will mitigate nearly four billion cubic meters of methane each year (more than 60 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent). [7]

Another $70,000 will be needed to install seven vents to get rid of methane that was discovered at the site, but Branch said most of that cost will be reimbursed by the state. [18] Conducting workshops to educate the mining industry and the broader community on the environmental, mine safety, and economic benefits of methane recovery. [7] In 2015, U.S. coal mines recovered and utilized more than 33 billion cubic feet of coal mine methane (CMM). [7] CMM refers to methane released from the coal and surrounding rock strata due to mining activities. [7] Like CBM, CMM is a subset of the methane found in coal seams, but it refers specifically to the methane found within mining areas (e.g., within a mining plan), while CBM refers to methane in coal seams that will never be mined. [7] CMOP continues to develop partnerships and engage in international outreach to promote CMM recovery and reduce CMM emissions globally in support of the Global Methane Initiative (GMI) Exit. [7] This methane can be deliberately extracted and used to generate power or for other end uses. [7] Commonly referred to as drainage systems, these systems employ vertical and/or horizontal wells to recover methane before mining takes place to help the ventilation system keep the in-mine methane concentrations sufficiently low (well below the explosive limit) to protect miners. [7] Dumps are a problem because they release methane, a potent greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. [19] Identifying, evaluating, and promoting methane reduction options, including technological innovations and markets mechanisms to encourage project implementation. [7] Typically, methane concentrations in ventilation air range from 0.1 percent to 1.0 percent. [7] Ventilation air methane (also known as VAM) refers to the very dilute methane that is released from underground mine ventilation shafts. [7] Methane is more than 25 times more potent than CO 2 on a mass basis over a 100-year time period. [7]

By 2020, global methane emissions from coal mines are estimated to reach nearly 800 MMTCO 2 E, accounting for 9 percent of total global methane emissions. [7] Even though active mining no longer occurs, these abandoned mines can still produce significant methane emissions from diffuse vents, fissures, or boreholes. [7] EPA developed a methodology to estimate fugitive methane emissions from abandoned mines. [7]

In underground mines, it can create an explosive hazard to coal miners, so it is removed through ventilation systems. [7]

Worldwide, CMM is most often used for power generation, district heating, boiler fuel, or town gas, or it is sold to natural gas pipeline systems. [7] In the United States, CBM is a valuable resource that accounts for about 5 percent of total U.S. natural gas production annually. [7] It is widely considered an "unconventional" source of natural gas. [7]

This Landfill Is a Gas! - Student teams build and observe model landfills made in 2-liter plastic bottles in order to understand the process and pitfalls of landfill use as a method for waste disposal. [11] In well-kept landfills, the gas is collected and used, sometimes burned in controlled flares; other times it?s gathered and treated to be turned into helpful things like electricity and heat. [20] In 2016, Emory emitted 1,103 metric tons of carbon dioxide due to landfill waste, equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from 236 passenger vehicles driven for one year, according to Howett. [21]

The EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) encourages the waste industry to recover and use biogas generated from organic waste in landfills. [22] A significant portion of man-made methane comes from organic wastes in landfills. [23] They considered the cost of producing compost from yard waste and compared it to the cost of recovering additional methane that would be made possible by returning the green gold of yard waste to the landfill degradation process. [12] Most of this waste is sent to landfills, where it produces methane as it breaks down. [22] With respect to landfills, the Methane Strategy calls for EPA to update its rules to reduce emissions from new, modified, and reconstructed landfills; to explore options to reduce emissions from existing landfills; and to encourage energy recovery from LFG through voluntary programs. [12] Despite the focus on the methane strategy, the circumstances EPA identifies for making the review appropriate here are "changes in the landfills industry and changes in size, ownership, and age of landfills" since the emission guidelines were promulgated in 1996. [12] Even though landfills now try to capture methane, some escapes (EPA estimates 25 percent). [23] Environmental engineers are developing new, innovative landfills to breakdown garbage and create gases, such as methane, used to generate electricity. [11]

Should Waste to energy BOTTOM ASH be used to construct reinforcing walls for landfill infrastructure? A pilot scale project could be built to demonstrate the technical capability of WTE BOTTOM ASH as a construction material for berms or embankments at MSW landfills. [24] In Estill County, Kentucky, the State Energy and Environment Department just recently cited the disposal company Advance Disposal Services Blue Ridge Landfill for illegally dumping hydraulic fracturing waste. [25] EPA required state plans to control MSW landfills of a certain size and NMOC emission rate if the landfill had accepted waste at any time since November 8, 1987, or had additional design capacity available for future waste deposition. [12] The new policy stems from Emory?s Sustainability Vision and Strategic Plan for 2015 to 2025, which states that Emory will strive to divert 95 percent of non-construction waste from municipal waste landfills, with the exception of regulated lab and medical waste, according to Howett. [21] In 2015, the EPA and USDA set goals to reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfills by 50 percent by 2030. [22] While landfills may capture the resultant biogas, landfilling organic wastes provides no opportunity to recycle the nutrients from the source organic material. [22] As part of the state's effort to combat climate change, divert organic materials from landfills and alleviate food insecurity in California, CalRecycle launched a new grant program with $5 million worth of funding to target food waste prevention and food rescue. (An additional $4.38 million in funding has been allocated for 2018.) [10] According to CalRecycle's 2014 Waste Characterization Study, an estimated 1.2 million tons of textiles end up in California landfills each year, making them one of the most prevalent material types in our waste stream. [10] New York City spends roughly $400 million each year to transport 14 million tons of waste to incinerators and landfills. [22]

Whereas we previously engaged in a more laissez faire open-burning technique for waste disposal, today the method used most frequently in the United States is the sanitary landfill. [20] Explain some of the major problems caused by waste disposal and use of landfills. [11] They come to understand the process and pitfalls of landfills as a waste disposal method. [11] Landfills are not an ideal environment for composting because food waste is often enclosed in plastic trash bags, and all waste is buried, removing it from access to water and air. [10] The new policy includes removing all outdoor landfill bins, standardizing interior waste bins and halting desk-side waste bin service. [21] Accounting for around 5 percent of all landfill fires, factors for the ignition of a deep landfill fire include the specific types of waste and moisture content of the trash involved, the amount of oxygen available to the physicality of combustion, and the ambient pressure in the area in question. [20] Unfortunately, food waste makes up 21 percent of U.S. landfills, with only 5 percent of food waste being recycled into soil improver or fertilizer. [22] The changes are intended to further Emory?s efforts to divert 95 percent of waste to streams other than landfills, according to Ciannat Howett, director of sustainability initiatives at Emory. [21] There are several methods that are used to dispose of garbage: creation of landfills (making large piles or pits of trash), incineration or burning of trash, and burying dangerous trash -- such as toxic waste. [11] Unfortunately, as a waste derived material, regulators have limited the ability of businesses to stockpile calcium phosphate powder for future recycling, and much of this material is currently being disposed of in landfills, rather than being reserved for the recovery of rare earths. [12] Food and other organic waste emits a climate-altering super pollutant when it decomposes in landfills. [10] In the last few years, declining capacities at conventional solid waste disposal facilities, combined with the realization that there are more beneficial things to do with food waste and other organics than to throw them in a landfill or burn them have led to partial food or organic waste bans in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, as well as in cities such as Seattle, San Francisco, and New York. [12] This hazardous material can be disposed of in municipal or solid waste landfills if the state regulators do not require the radioactivity or toxicity of this material to be a consideration for disposal. [25] Discharging leachate (or hauling leachate) from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills to municipal wastewater treatment facilities is the most common method of leachate disposal. [24] Although the United Haulers decision upheld the validity of a flow control ordinance against a commerce clause challenge, the decision was based on an ordinance that was expressly authorized by the New York legislature and which required the disposal of solid waste at a landfill operated by a solid waste authority created by the New York legislature. [12]